Wednesday, May 24, 2017

Snatched

Starring: Amy Schumer, Goldie Hawn, Ike Barinholtz, Wanda Sykes
Director: Jonathan Levine
Running Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Rating: R

Love her or hate her, I'm a pretty big Amy Schumer fan. I'm not sure if it's her comedic timing or the fact that she reminds me of my best friend (who may in fact be funnier than Amy is), but short story long - I love me some Amy. I just finished her book and was so excited to see "Snatched" starring one of my other faves, Goldie Hawn. I didn't want to get my hopes up, because I heard mixed reviews, and have such great expectations for these ladies. Luckily, I enjoyed just about every single minute of this. Were there cheap laughs? Sure. Was this absolutely perfect for me to watch with my mom? Without a doubt. Do I still love Amy Schumer? Absolutely.

Goldie and Amy play mom and daughter, Linda and Emily. Their chemistry is palpable, and while they're the clear leads of the film, the supporting cast gives them quite a boost: Wanda Sykes, Joan Cusack, Christopher Meloni and the always enjoyable Ike Barinholtz are welcome additions to the cast. We meet Emily (Schumer) in a very funny manner. She encourages (ahem, rather, forces) her recluse mother to join her on a non-refundable trip to Ecuador. Emily has recently become single, and can't bare to go 5 minutes without posting a selfie, so how could she possibly stay home from this trip and not give everyone the opportunity to see her looking fabulous in such an exotic location?! (Emily's character in a nutshell).

The jokes between this mother and daughter pair are pretty universal. Mom: "I haven't heard from you in weeks; you only call me when you need something." Emily: "You're posting on my wall, mom, this is not a private message." The two seem to bicker more than get along, but they set off to South America regardless.

It's not spoiling too much to say that Emily and Linda wind up in the hands of some gangsters, due to Emily's poor judgment - a running theme in the film. The two women must stick together to find their way back to the resort, and ultimately, the US. Humor and chaos ensues. While some of the comedic scenes show off Amy's comedic mastery, a few are over the top. A few scenes even seemed ad-libbed, which I think is a true testament to this comedian's talent.

This film is definitely a fun time. And it's a chick flick, for sure. It was a delightful welcome back to the screen for Goldie Hawn, who hadn't done a film since the 2002 classic, "The Banger Sisters".  And it proves that Schumer is around for much more than "Trainwreck".